World’s most potent greenhouse gas replaced in new ABB switchgear

The world’s most potent greenhouse gas has been replaced with an alternative that its developers say is much more sustainable in several railway switchgears in Germany.

Commonly used in electrical switchgears and other energy infrastructure for its excellent insulation properties, sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) has a global warming potential 25,200-times that of carbon dioxide and lasts in the atmosphere for about 3,200 years.

With ambitious plans to decarbonise the German rail network by 2040 and eliminate use of SF₆ in its switchgear, Deutsche Bahn awarded Swedish-Swiss multinational ABB a contract to supply its first three-phase gas insulated switchgear solutions that are free of SF₆. The technology will be used in four charging substations dedicated to battery-powered trains for Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany.

The devices replace SF₆ with AirPlus, which ABB described as a “sustainable gas mixture” that almost eliminates global warming potential.

“ABB’s SF₆-free technology offers an interesting alternative to conventional assets, especially in terms of eliminating harmful greenhouse gases,” said Thomas Wehr, product manager at Deutsche Bahn’s Rail Power Systems contractor. “The switchgear can be integrated into our substation design without any problems.”

Other features of the new switchgears include ‘run flat’ technology, designed to enable continued operation in the event of a leak. The devices are designed to generate 20% less heat than conventional options, and integrated sensors can enable remote monitoring.

The European Commission recently proposed plans to ban SF₆ from new medium voltage electrical equipment from 2026 for applications up to 24kV, and from 2030 for applications up to 52kV.

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